Positioning for Progress: Brownfields as an Economic Development Tool Randall P. Henderson, Jr., Mayor May 15, 2012 Presented to: Florida Brownfield Association & Florida Redevelopment Association
Cleveland Avenue - Today 2 The Starting Point
Cleveland Avenue - The Future 3 What steps is the City taking to achieve a total facelift such as this? The Finish Line
Central Fort Myers Business Opportunities Urban Infill Opportunities
Success, as Bobby Unser said, is where preparation and opportunity meet, and the downtowns that have succeeded are those that have taken steps to prepare themselves for redevelopment opportunities, the great majority of which are initiated by the private sector. Quote from 2003 Downtown Plan
Economic Development Tools Tax increment financing Grants Enterprise Zone Brownfield designation Shared water detention basins Water and sewer impact fee waivers Pro development Mayor and Council 6
Tax Increment Financing 7 Orthopedic Specialists of Southwest Florida (30-year Rebate)
Grant Programs 8 Grants are used to encourage development and enhance the quality of the project Development Assistant Grant Up to $10,000 of predevelopment costs Landscape Façade Grant Up to $50,000 of site work, design fees and exterior improvements
Projects Receiving Grant Funds Before After South Trail Shopping Center (Brought back a grocery store to the neighborhood and created 120 new jobs) After 9 Cleveland District
Projects Receiving Grant Funds Enterprise Holdings (1 job) Before After After 10 Cleveland District
Projects Receiving Grant Funds Before City Center 41 (50 new jobs) After 11 Cleveland District
Projects Receiving Grant Funds Before Chuck E. Cheese s (40 new jobs) Before After After 12 Cleveland District
13 Cleveland District
Public Transportation Recognizing the vital importance of public transportation, the CRA contributed $65,000 towards the design of a new 8-bay transfer station at the Edison Mall. This is the 2 nd busiest station in the county. Completed in December 2011 14 Cleveland District
New Construction Projects 15 Signs of progress: Investment of both private and public dollars. Improvements occur around the properties which had received grants. New projects are being designed in areas which had not received grants.
District 1: Medical District Boundaries: Edison to Hanson Gateway between downtown and the rest of Cleveland Avenue Enterprise Zone, located on east side of corridor = Proposed construction (1 site in Cleveland district & 1 site in Central district) Potential Standards = Project awarded a grant by the CRA 16 Cleveland District
Projects without Grant Funds RaceTrac is preparing to build a new gas station and convenience store in the block bordered by Cleveland, Edison, Heitman and Lafayette. 17 Central District
Projects without Grant Funds Orthopedic Specialists of Southwest Florida is in the process of building a new surgery center in Cleveland 1, near the hospital. Project statistics 8 doctors 130 employees 700-800 patients per day 18 Cleveland District
Used grant funds to get enhanced landscaping in front of existing building to coordinate with surgery center Proposed Existing 19 Cleveland District
Enterprise Zone 20 Enterprise Zone An Enterprise Zone is an area targeted for economic revitalization. Benefits in the Enterprise Zone State Level Corporate income tax credit for job creation Sales & use tax credit for job creation Sales tax refund for business machinery & equipment Sales tax refund for building materials Sales tax exemption for electrical energy used
Enterprise Zone 21 Approximate boundaries of Redevelopment Districts Cleveland horizontal orange rectangle Central vertical orange rectangle
Brownfield Areas 22 Brownfield Program A brownfield is a property where redevelopment, expansion and reuse are hindered as a result of real or perceived contamination, or due to general conditions of slum and blight. Benefits of a Brownfield Program Provides places for business growth and job creation Removes blight and improves community health and appearance Restores/enhances the local tax base Utilizes existing infrastructure Protects the region s environment and reduces urban sprawl
Brownfield Designation 23 The City chose to designate the Cleveland and Central redevelopment districts as Brownfield (BF) areas since: The redevelopment districts had already been found to have slum and blight; Portions of each district were included in the Enterprise Zone (EZ) ; and The BF and EZ programs are made to work together.
New Brownfield Areas Central Fort Myers 24 Cleveland
Shared Detention Basin Construct a detention basin in which CRA receives stormwater compensation credits from SWFMD. The CRA can allocate these credits to sites along a specific area of Cleveland. Those sites will then receive credit for off-site stormwater treatment. This will help decrease the costs to develop/redevelop a site. 25 Cleveland District
26 Questions